If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

New Irish microchop regulations

As part of the effort to crack down on Irish puppy farms (from which cavaliers are a key export to the UK and US/Canada) the irish government and the irish Kennel Club (IKC) are to bring in mandatory microchipping of ALL puppies registered with the IKC from January 2006.

This means all puppies must be microchipped in order to get their registrations. How this will be administered, I do not know.

Obviously some breeders/puppy famrers will get around this but the good thing is, it will mean if a broker or mill sells anIrish cavalier supposedly with Irish IKC papers -- the buyer will definitely have legal redress I should think if it turns out the dog isn't microchipped as then the paperwork is probably forged. Most if not all US states would see that as a violation of contract. Alternatively it means that if the dog IS registered and that particular breeder is producing vast numbers of puppies or sickly puppies that are traced back to a particular breeder, there's a greater chance of redress and of the breeder being banned.

This is just one element of a set of new requirements that are supposed to be coming in. If/when I can find out what the others are, I'll post. The Irish govt asked for submissions on the puppy farm issue last autumn and I among many other groups and individuals that I know in rescue/welfare made a submission. Fingers crossed something tangible comes out of it in addition to the microchipping requirement. I'd be interested to hear what others think of the usefulness of the microchipping requirement?

The point is to force them to microchip. Then every puppy is traceable to origin, for the life of the dog. Also it gives the IKC a way of seeing where litters are coming from. I am guessing this is going to be used in conjunction with tighter security at airports for export and so on. There are a number of things that could be done; it all depends on what will be funded, required, etc.